Used Audi A3 e-tron 2014-2018 review

You’ll struggle to find a used premium family car that does so much, so well, as the 2013-2020 version of the Audi A3 Sportback. However, if you do mostly short journeys and you have somewhere to plug a car in you might want to consider this plug-in hybrid e-tron model, that was on sale from 2014 to 2018.

You can run the e-tron on the electric motor alone, or, when you need more performance, couple that with the 1.4-litre petrol engine. The combined power units are certainly effective, offering near hot-hatch levels of performance. Mechanical aside, the A3 Sportback is practical too, and it has a very plush interior with plenty of equipment.

If you have any preconceptions that a car using battery power will feel slow, then you’ll find the A3 Sportback e-tron a revelation. Even when using just the electric motor it’s not exactly slow, but when you use it with both the electric motor and the 1.4-litre petrol engine combined it’s decently quick. It pulls hard right from the off and will despatch the 0-62mph sprint in a hot-hatch-bating 7.6sec, and will happily cruise at motorway speeds.

Power goes through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which means it’s very easy to drive, whether you’re mooching around town or tackling a long cross-country trip.

There are three powertrain modes available: EV, Hybrid and Battery Hold. EV keeps the car running on pure electric power only (offering a realistic range of 15-20 miles). Hybrid uses a mix of electric and petrol power, while Battery Hold helps to preserve the battery by getting the petrol engine to do all the work.

Having the extra weight of the batteries does reflect in the handling, because the e-tron will wash wide through fast corners earlier than the standard A3 models, but no more so than the similar versions of the Golf or i3. Even so, the steering is well weighted and makes it easy to place the A3 on the road, and body lean is progressive and nicely controlled.

Ride comfort is great over high-speed undulations, and the e-tron feels settled and comfortable in most situations, but it can become a bit bouncy and jarring over hard-worn or rougher town roads.

Refinement is also an e-tron strong point. The brakes are a bit grabby, but don’t suffer from the snappiness that some hybrid cars do, while in electric mode it’s whisper quiet. You do notice a slight vibration and added noise as the petrol engine kicks in, but the engine is still smooth and a lot less intrusive than the two-cylinder engine found in the old range-extender versions of the BMW i3. As your speed builds so do the levels of road and wind noise, but not to excessive levels.

It’s easy to get comfortable behind the wheel of the A3 Sportback e-tron. There’s plenty of movement to the steering wheel – up and down as well as in and out – while the seat moves every which way, too. Once you have your driving position set, you’ll also find the steering wheel and pedals are nicely aligned.

It’s not as futuristic inside as the BMW i3, but the clean-looking, minimalist-style dash means there’s not a confusing array of buttons. Instead, there are just the essential controls, such as those for the heating and air-con, positioned logically to hand.

Many of the car’s functions are controlled using the rotary dial and menu buttons placed behind the gearlever, and viewed on the clear and well-sighted 7.0in screen that rises out of the dashboard. It’s perhaps not quite as good as the BMW system but it’s still intuitive, and the rotary controller makes it easier to use on the move than the VW Golf GTE’s touchscreen system. It’s well equipped too, with sat-nav and DAB radio as standard, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The A3 has one of the best-finished cabins in the class. Predominantly, the surfaces look and feel upmarket, with soft to the touch materials, and switches that operate with a slick, precise action.

The A3 Sportback e-tron offers decent space for a car of this size. The driver and front-seat passenger are the best catered for with lots of head and leg room, and there’s plenty of storage, too. This includes deep door bins, a couple of cup holders behind the gearlever, as well as a cubby under the front armrest. Space for knick-knacks is a little short, apart from a tray for a mobile phone on the centre console.

In the rear, there’s space for two tall adults to be reasonably comfortable, or three with some squeezing, but it’s worth pointing out that the Volkswagen Passat GTE is a much bigger car for those that need more cabin space.

That applies to the boot as well, which isn’t the A3 e-tron’s strongest point. The batteries sit under the rear seats, so the fuel tank (reduced to 40 litres) has been moved to beneath the boot, eating into the boot space and reducing it to 280 litres (down from 380 in the conventionally powered A3 models).

Still, while the boot lacks the capacity and depth of the rest of the A3 range, it’s still a broad, square-shaped space that’ll be fine for light family use or weekend luggage. Also, there are 60:40 split-folding rear seats to manage longer loads, and it should be said that neither the BMW i3 nor Golf GTE are any bigger. Once again, look to the Passat GTE for the best load-lugging capability.

If you're interested in buying a used Audi A3 e-tron, or any of the other cars listed here, check out our used car classifieds site here.

Prices for the earliest Audi A3 e-trons start at around £13,000 for a 2014 or 2015 car with an average mileage for the year and bought either privately or from a dealer. Spend between £14,000 and £16,000 on a 2015 or 2016 model that satisfies the same criteria, or up that to around £17,000 to £20,000 for a 2017 or final 2018 car.

If you regularly travel long distances at motorway speeds a diesel might prove more economical in the real world, despite the A3 e-tron’s claimed fuel economy of 176.6mpg, under the older NEDC tests that were prevalent at the time. That’s because once the e-tron’s battery is depleted - which in reality is after 15 to 20 miles – you’ll be running on the petrol engine; in our True MPG test it delivered 47.7mpg. Therefore the e-tron is best suited to those doing short trips, with good access to charge points. if you can do that, you might be surprised how economical it can be, however.

You'll pay nothing for VED road tax for a car registered before April 2017, and £145 a year for a car registered after that date.

Insurance costs and servicing costs should be on a par with the equivalent petrol or diesel-powered A3.

Servicing on the A3 is due every two years or 19,000 miles, with Audi main dealers offering a comprehensive service plan for cars three years old and older. The plan provides an interim service for £164 and a main service for £319.

From new, many A3s were covered by an Audi Service Plan that could be used to cover the cost of routine servicing for up to five years or 50,000 miles. The A3 was also covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty from new, with the option of an extended four or five-year cover.

There is only the one version of the Audi A3 e-tron.

The standard equipment in the A3 e-tron is generous, with goodies including sat-nav, a 7.0in infotainment screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a DAB radio, Bluetooth, LED headlights, rear parking sensors, 17in alloy wheels and sports seats. Audi’s excellent but expensive Virtual Cockpit is available as an optional extra, as well as front seat lumbar adjustment, cruise control and heated front seats.

A three-year, 60,000-mile manufacturer’s warranty is standard, which can be extended at extra cost up to five years or 90,000 miles.

Our favourite Audi A3 e-tron: Audi A3 e-tron

The Hyundai Ioniq can be bought as a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid or a pure electric-only car. The plug-in hybrid version equates to the e-tron, and it comes with a good-quality interior, low running costs and a reassuringly normal driving experience.

Or you could go for an electric car with much more radical styling in the BMW i3. It’s also made from carbonfibre, which makes it much lighter than most electric cars and pays dividends in terms of outright acceleration. The older and now no longer on sale range-extender version has a small petrol engine on board that acts as a generator, meaning range anxiety issues are lessened.

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